scholarly journals Star Formation and the Initial Mass Function

2007 ◽  
pp. 271-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Åke Nordlund ◽  
Paolo Padoan
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass

Low‐Mass Star Formation and the Initial Mass Function in IC 348

1998 ◽  
Vol 508 (1) ◽  
pp. 347-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Luhman ◽  
G. H. Rieke ◽  
C. J. Lada ◽  
E. A. Lada
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass ◽  
Mass Star ◽  
Low Mass

scholarly journals The influence of a top-heavy integrated galactic IMF and dust on the chemical evolution of high-redshift starbursts

2020 ◽  
Vol 494 (2) ◽  
pp. 2355-2373 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Palla ◽  
F Calura ◽  
F Matteucci ◽  
X L Fan ◽  
F Vincenzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Chemical Evolution ◽  
Chemical Elements ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Abundance Patterns

ABSTRACT We study the effects of the integrated galactic initial mass function (IGIMF) and dust evolution on the abundance patterns of high redshift starburst galaxies. In our chemical models, the rapid collapse of gas clouds triggers an intense and rapid star formation episode, which lasts until the onset of a galactic wind, powered by the thermal energy injected by stellar winds and supernova explosions. Our models follow the evolution of several chemical elements (C, N, α-elements, and Fe) both in the gas and dust phases. We test different values of β, the slope of the embedded cluster mass function for the IGIMF, where lower β values imply a more top-heavy initial mass function (IMF). The computed abundances are compared to high-quality abundance measurements obtained in lensed galaxies and from composite spectra in large samples of star-forming galaxies in the redshift range 2 ≲ z ≲ 3. The adoption of the IGIMF causes a sensible increase of the rate of star formation with respect to a standard Salpeter IMF, with a strong impact on chemical evolution. We find that in order to reproduce the observed abundance patterns in these galaxies, either we need a very top-heavy IGIMF (β < 2) or large amounts of dust. In particular, if dust is important, the IGIMF should have β ≥ 2, which means an IMF slightly more top-heavy than the Salpeter one. The evolution of the dust mass with time for galaxies of different mass and IMF is also computed, highlighting that the dust amount increases with a top-heavier IGIMF.

scholarly journals The Initial Mass Function of Young Open Clusters in the Galaxy: A Preliminary Result

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (S316) ◽  
pp. 357-358
Author(s):  
Beomdu Lim ◽  
Hwankyung Sung ◽  
Hyeonoh Hur ◽  
Byeong-Gon Park
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Open Clusters ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass ◽  
Formation Processes ◽  
Global Properties ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Galaxy

AbstractThe initial mass function (IMF) is an essential tool with which to study star formation processes. We have initiated the photometric survey of young open clusters in the Galaxy, from which the stellar IMFs are obtained in a homogeneous way. A total of 16 famous young open clusters have preferentially been studied up to now. These clusters have a wide range of surface densities (log σ = −1 to 3 [stars pc−2] for stars with mass larger than 5M⊙) and cluster masses (Mcl = 165 to 50, 000M⊙), and also are distributed in five different spiral arms in the Galaxy. It is possible to test the dependence of star formation processes on the global properties of individual clusters or environmental conditions. We present a preliminary result on the variation of the IMF in this paper.

scholarly journals The influence of star clusters on galactic disks: new insights in star-formation in galaxies

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S254) ◽  
pp. 209-220
Author(s):  
Pavel Kroupa
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Galaxy Evolution ◽  
Stellar Population ◽  
Dwarf Galaxy ◽  
Star Clusters ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass ◽  
Disk Galaxies ◽  
Galactic Disks

AbstractStars form in embedded star clusters which play a key role in determining the properties of a galaxy's stellar population. A large fraction of newly born massive stars are shot out from dynamically unstable embedded-cluster cores spreading them to large distances before they explode. Embedded clusters blow out their gas once the feedback energy from the new stellar population overcomes its binding energy, leading to cluster expansion and in many cases dissolution into the galaxy. Galactic disks may be thickened by such processes, and some thick disks may be the result of an early epoch of vigorous star-formation. Binary stellar systems are disrupted in clusters leading to a lower fraction of binaries in the field, while long-lived clusters harden degenerate-stellar binaries such that the SNIa rate may increase by orders of magnitude in those galaxies that were able to form long-lived clusters. The stellar initial mass function of the whole galaxy must be computed by adding the IMFs in the individual clusters. The resulting integrated galactic initial mass function (IGIMF) is top-light for SFRs < 10 M⊙/yr, and its slope and, more importantly, its upper stellar mass limit depend on the star-formation rate (SFR), explaining naturally the mass–metallicity relation of galaxies. Based on the IGIMF theory, the re-calibrated Hα-luminosity–SFR relation implies dwarf irregular galaxies to have the same gas-depletion time-scale as major disk galaxies, implying a major change of our concept of dwarf-galaxy evolution. A galaxy transforms about 0.3 per cent of its neutral gas mass every 10 Myr into stars. The IGIMF-theory also naturally leads to the observed radial Hα cutoff in disk galaxies without a radial star-formation cutoff. It emerges that the thorough understanding of the physics and distribution of star clusters may be leading to a major paradigm shift in our understanding of galaxy evolution.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document